Radio aerial



March 17, 1953 E, CARLSON 2,632,106 I RADIO AERIAL Filed July 13, 195o IN V EN TOR. 277.72 Z far/50x?,

Patented Mar. 17, 1953 RADIO AERIAL Emil Carlson, Detroit, Mich., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Pioneer Specialty corporation of Michigan Company, a

Application July 13, 1950, Serial No. 173,649

(Cl. Z50-33) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to extensible and retractable radio antennas and mountings therefor, and

particularly to an improved assembly consisting of an extensible and retractable antenna and mounting means therefor, especially adapted for vehicular installations and similar uses in which the antenna is mounted in a structure exposed to variable weather conditions.

A popular type of aerial for automobiles is the so-called top-cowl aerial consisting of telescopically extensible and retractable sections and designed to be mounted on an upper part of ya fender, cowl, or other more or less horizontal panel of the vehicle, and to project downwardly therethrough so that at least a part of the antenna structure is concealed beneath the body panel. Some type of weather sealing means is customarily provided at the panel opening, and the lead-in connection is attached to the antenna below the panel. Despite the sealing means which may be provided, it is often impossible to prevent moisture from seeping through the antenna mounting `and accumulating in the antenna housing below the structural support, thus short circuiting the antenna and creating the likelihood of damage due to corrosion.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide, in such an extensible antenna of the type described, improved means for preventing any moisture which may enter the antenna housing from accumulating therein in such manner as to ground the antenna.

It is a further object to provide, in combination with such an antenna structure of the type having a grounded casing adapted for concealed mounting in the vehicle body, improved means for conducting away any moisture which may penetrate to the vicinity of the lead-in terminal (which must necessarily extend inwardly through the grounded casing) so that unwanted leakage to ground will not occur at the lead-in terminal.

Still another object is to provide an improved aerial of the indicated variety wherein leakage of energy to ground is eiiectively prevented in all internal parts of the structure and water which penetrates to the interior will immediately run E through the bottom of the housing.

It is valso an object to provide an antenna having means as described above which can be easily and cheaply fabricated with a minimum number of parts, and in which such means do not impair the extensible and retractable function of the antenna.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following specication, the

drawing relating thereto, and from the claims hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing:

Figure l is an elevational View of my improved yantenna construction and the lead-in connection thereto, p-arts being broken away for clarity;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of the portion of my improved antenna in the vicinity of the lead-in connection;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and showing details of the construction.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4 4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. l and showing the arrangements of parts in the housing tube.

The improved antenna of my invention is mounted on a panel I I, which may comprise, for example, the fender or cowl panel of an automotive vehicle. The antenna proper consists Of a plurality of telescopic members, two such mem- 'bers i2 and I3 being shown in the present instance. The inner member I2 may be of solid cylindrical cross-section, and the outer member I3 of tubular construction. The antenna illustrated is of the type which is manually actuatable to its extended and retracted positions, although it will be understood that the improved construction of my invention is equally applicable to antennas which are operated by remote or remotely controllable power means. The panel is provided with an apertured portion through which extends -a cylindrical shell I4 having an upper threaded portion I5 above the fender surface, a shoulder IB spaced below the fender, and an enlarged cylindrical section I1 below shoulder I6. The shell i4 is rigidly secured to the panel by means of a dome nut I8 which is threaded on portion I 5, and which holds shoulder I6 upwardly against a tubular spacer I9 below the panel. The base of nut I8 is engageable with a neckpiece 2l of insulating material, the base of which in turn rests upon a gasket pad 22, which serves to prevent moisture from entering the panel aperture. An insulating bushing 23 is mounted within nut I8 and the threaded portion I5 of shell I4. This bushing serves as the uppermost support for the antenna section I3. It will be noted, however, that because of the innate limitations on the manufacturing tolerances of the various parts there remains the likelihood of moisture entering within shell I4 between bushing 23 and antenna section I3, as well as between other elements of the antenna mounting above the panel.

An elongated housing 2li, which serves as an electrical shield as well as a, protective casing and guide tube, is mounted at its upper end within enlarged section Il of the shell, and extends therebelow a substantial distance, being attached at its lower end to the panel structure by means of a bracket 25. Mounted within the upper portion of the housing tube is a spacer block 2S of insulating material, which serves both as an antenna support and as a receiving member for the antenna lead-in connection, to be presently described. A sleeve 2l is centrally mounted within block 26, being secured thereto by an upper flange 28 and a lower flange 28a. Antenna section I3 is slidably mounted within sleeve 2l, the sleeve having at its lower end fingers 29 which serve to frictionally grip the antenna section and to maintain effective electrical connection. The lower end of section I3 is provided with a pistonlike member 3i loosely ntting within guide tube 24. A spring-like wire member 32 of sinuous shape is mounted within an annular slot 33 in piston 3| and, as shown in Fig. 5, partially eX- tends from the slot in such fashion that it resiliently engages the inner surface of the guide tube at spaced points therearound, lthus allowing the passage of moisture downwardly through annular space 35i surrounding the piston. Spring 32 provides suificient friction to insure that gravity will not cause the aerial to descend, even under severe vibration.

The bottom of the housing is substantially closed by a closure 35, having a central opening 36, so as to limit the retracting movement of the antenna while allowing moisture to pass downf wardly out of the housing tube.

The lead-in connection for the antenna may be of a conventional shielded coaxial type, and comprises a cable having an outer insulating layer 3d, and a metallic shielding layer or loom di. Within loom il are additional insulating layers c2 and fit, which surround the inner metallic conductor or lead-in wire (not shown) which is connected at the aerial end to a prong 4d.

A receptacle sleeve i5 is attached to shell section El over an aperture it therethrough, the sleeve being attached by means of screws ill, and a gasket lil being placed between the sleeve and section il. A tubular connecting ferrule member 49 is soldered at one end to loom El and eX- tends within the sleeve d5, being yieldably held in conducting relation with the sleeve by annular depression l. Prong lill is concentrically held within member i9 by an insulating washer 52, and extends through a central clearance aperture 53 in the outer end of member lill. Block 25 has a horizontally disposed aperture 5t in the central portion thereof, the outer end of the aperture be ing enlarged to provide a recessed shoulder 55. A jack receptacle member 5t is disposed within aperture 5ft, the receptacle being preferably constructed of wear-resistant metal. The outer end of the member 56 is provided with a plurality of tabs 5l which engage the recessed shoulder 55, and the inner end of the jack receptacle has a tongue 53 which is bent upwardly and is securely engaged between sleeve 2l and block 326, thus providing a conducting medium between the jack receptacle and sleeve 2l. This construction not only provides an effective conducting path between the aerial and the lead-in wire, but greatly facilitates the assembling of the device. Before assembly, tongue 5S will extend in line with the body portion of the receptacle, which as the iirst step in assembly is inserted into aperture 54, so

that tabs 51 abut recessed shoulder 55 and tongue 53 extends partially into the central aperture of the block. Sleeve 2l, with flange 28 still unformed thereon, is then slid upwardly through the central aperture until flange 28a abuts its lower edge. During this movement tongue 58 will be bent upwardly and the outer portion thereof will be firmly anchored in pressed rela tion between sleeve 2l and the block. The top edge of the sleeve is then swaged over to form flange 28, and the length of tongue 58 is such that the end portion 59 thereof will be bent over the block under ange 28, forming a tab 59 engaging the top surface of the block.

As best seen in Fig. 4, the body portion of the jack receptacle 55 is bent into three walls enclosing a space of substantially triangular shape therebetween. A projecting jack portion ci of terminal prong c4 is adapted to project into and to be yieldably held within the triangular open ing in the jacl receptacle. It will. be seen, therefore, that sleeve 2l, tongue 555, jack receptacle 5t and jack prong portion Eil form a conducting path to the lead-in wire, while shell ifi, screws di, sleeve l5 and tubular member te form a conducting path to ground for the loom di. A ilexible sleeve 3S provides an effective seal between ferrule fle and insulating sheath gli. A screw 3l coaots with .screws il and with lead-in jack prong il! to hold the shell i4, tube 2li and block 2t in rigidly secured relation.

In order to prevent the accumulation of moisture in the vicinity of the lead-in connection and other elements described above, block 25 is provided with an annular groove or channel 62 around its upper surface and a channel 63 on its lower surface, as best seen in Figs. 2 and 4. These channels are preferably of semi-circular crosssection, and are spaced substantially equidistant from sleeve 2 and housing 2li. 1t will be evident that any moisture which may seep into the casing ill from above will flow downwardly and eventually run into channel 52. In order to allow the moisture to ilow downwardly from the channel G52, a pair of vertical drainage apertures 64 and 65 are provided in block 223 these apertures connecting the upper and lower channels. 1t will be understood that while two such apertures are shown in the preferred embodiment, it is within the contemplation of this invention to provide a single such aperture, or any number thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, the drainage apertures are preferably spaced circumferentially from the lead-in connection approximately 9ll on either side thereof.

ln the use of my antenna construction, the moisture which enters shell ifi and flows downwardly will collect in channel di, as described above, and will continue its flow through drainage apertures lill and 65, thus entering channel 63 and owing down through housing tube 2d. Due to the construction of piston 3i and sinuous element described above, the moisture will ccntinue its ilow downwardly past the piston and through aperture 3G in closure 35, thus leaving the antenna structure. Since, under ordinary circumstances, the rate of flow of moisture into casing lll will be slowenough so that all such moisture will be immediately carried off by the described means, it is apparent that no harmful accumulation of moisture within the antenna housing will occur.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

, What is claimed is:

1. In an antenna mounting adapted to support an extensible antenna on a structural panel or the like and to accommodate a coaxial type of lead-in connection to said antenna, a shell extending through said panel and secured thereto, means on said shell for slidably supporting said antenna above said panel, an annular block within said shell, means Within said block and in supporting engagement with said antenna below said rst supporting means, a receptacle electrically connected to said lower supporting means and extending radially within said block for receiving one conductor oi said lead-in connection, a sleeve electrically connected to said shell concentric with said receptacle for receiving the other conductor of said lead-in connection, said block having upper and lower surfaces, an annular channel in said upper surface, a drain passage portion in said block connecting said upper and lower surfaces, said apertured portion being spaced circumferentally from said receptacle, a housing tube extending downwardly from said shell, and a guided element mounted on one of said antenna sections and slidably engageable with said housing tube at spaced points around the inner surface thereof, whereby moisture drainage past said guided element is permitted.

2. The combination according to claim 1, said lower supporting means comprising a metallic sleeve extending axially Within said block, and a tongue extending from said receptacle and secured between said sleeve and said block.

3. In an antenna mounting adapted to support an extensible antenna on a structural panel or the like, a shell extending through said panel and secured thereto, means on said shell for slidably supporting said antenna above said panel, an annular block within said shell, means in said block for slidably supporting said antenna below said rst supporting means, said block having upper and lower surfaces, an apertured portion in said block connecting said upper and lower surfaces, said apertured portion being spaced from said supporting means, a housing tube extending downwardly from said shell, a piston-like member at the lower end of one section of said antenna and loosely fitting Within said housing tube, and a sinuous wire member circumferentially mounted on said piston-like member and engageable with the inner surface of said housing tube at spaced points therearound.

EMIL CARLSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 

